


Ramble On

by candypinksocks



Series: The Song Remains The Same [3]
Category: Franklin & Bash
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-28
Updated: 2012-06-28
Packaged: 2017-11-08 18:15:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/446061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candypinksocks/pseuds/candypinksocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They leave early on the Monday after they both graduate, Jared's bright pink cooler to match the furry dice on the back seat next to the guitar Jared got Peter as a graduation present, a line of silver duct tape dividing the seat in two.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ramble On

Jared graduated High Tower Academy with a 4.0 GPA and a National AP Scholar award. He hid the hickey Peter left behind his left ear with his mom's make up and the tip of his mortarboard. He lost count of how many times he caught himself pressing his finger against it just to feel the bruise. His graduation photograph ended up showing just one of those times.

He took his LSATs a week later and scored a 179. 

He didn't wait for the letters to tell his father he was going on a road trip with Peter for the whole summer.

He was eighteen. And he was finally free.

_________________________________________________________________

"It's not going to fit, Peter."

"I'm not going without it, Jared."

"It'll go on the back seat though, right?"

"I'm not having my baby sullied by your _'Barbie threw up all the pink on me'_ cooler."

"Fuck you. It's retro."

"Later and that's not retro, Jared, that's _'shoot me I have no taste'_."

"And yet you still bought it for me. Well it's on the back seat with the cooler or on the roof with the boards, 'cause it ain't fitting in the trunk."

"Is it still the trunk if it's in front?"

"Don't deflect, Peter."

"Okay, she can go in back, but I want clear demarcation lines in case the pink is catching."

*

They leave early on the Monday after they both graduate, Jared's bright pink cooler to match the furry dice on the back seat next to the guitar Jared got Peter as a graduation present, a line of silver duct tape dividing the seat in two. The Rand McNally 'California' is now taped to the dash; its corners frayed and the creases from being folded and unfolded a million times since they got it, making it impossible to read. But it's not there for that. Besides, they have a new one, their route marked out in red, in the glove box. There's bags of road food in the foot well and two reconditioned long boards on the roof. They've got a suitcase and a rucksack each, both stuffed to breaking 'cause Colleen wouldn't let them leave without practically every item of clothing either of them owns. Plus extra underwear.

She kisses them both goodbye on the cheek and neither of them say a word about it, just hug her a little bit longer than they normally would before they pull back, both of them wiping at their eyes like there's dust when Colleen just right out cries and hands them each an envelope. Jared just stares down at his. It's thick enough to not fold without the sticky coming undone. 

"A little road money."

"No, Mom, it's okay -"

"Shut up, Peter, and let me do this and call me when you stop for the night, okay?"

"Okay." Jared knows not to argue and for once Peter just nods and hugs Colleen again, a little tighter this time.

"Now get, before I change my mind and chain you both to the couch and not let you out of my sight."

*

They make it forty-seven miles before Peter pulls over at a gas station and drags Jared into the bathroom. It's filthy and the pine air freshener doesn't cover up a damn thing, but Jared doesn't care, just drops to his knees and sucks Peter off, quick and fast. He's not far behind, Peter's fingers pulling on his hair, his own hand shoved inside his barely open jeans.

*

They stop again just outside the city, park up and look back, the greasy stain of smog on the horizon turning it purple and neither of them say a word, just sit on the hood/trunk/whatever and stare out. Jared kind of wants to shout _'fuck you!'_ but instead he just nudges Peter's shoulder with his own and smiles, finishes up his soda and roots around in Peter's pocket for the keys.

They've got a long way to go.

*

The sea's to the left of them, stretching out further than the eye can see, they've got all the windows open and the whole car smells of the sea. And Cheetos.

Peter's got the map in his lap, well, half in his lap and half all up in front of the windshield. Jared's trying not to look at it, but it's kinda distracting, and a little bit in his way.

"So, we can come off at the next exit, get something to eat other than chips and soda at that diner we saw the board for, or we can go another two hundred and stop at that place that does the all you can eat shrimp and get a room there for the night, like we planned." Peter's not folding the map right and it's gonna end up torn and useless like the last one, but Jared just bats at it with the hand he's not got on the steering wheel, gets it out of Peter's face.

"I could eat." Jared grins and Peter shifts in his seat like he's uncomfortable all of a sudden and that just makes Jared grin even wider and flick the turn signal before he looks over his shoulder and eases into the exit lane.

The diner's perfect; chipped Formica tables, scrubbed clean and covered with red and white checked paper, set in booths with torn, squeaky leatherette benches. They cram into one side-by-side, fighting over who gets the menu first until Peter just lays it on the table in front of them, he's got his leg pressed up against Jared's under the table and his arm across the back of the bench behind Jared's back and Jared's pretty sure he hasn't smiled this much in a long time.

They're far enough outside the city now that that air's clear, the waitress doesn't look like an extra from a long running procedural, the food's cheap and piled high and there's bottomless soda. Jared's already thinking that this is maybe the best idea they ever had and they're only on the first day.

They eat more than they probably should, get sodas to go and a souvenir napkin (the first of many) with 'Nel's Deli Diner' printed on it.

He resists the temptation to drag Peter into the bathroom, but it's a close call.

*

"Here's one -" Peter's driving now, one wrist on the wheel, one hand resting loose and easy on Jared's thigh and there's a warm buzz running through Jared, like he's on the edge of something awesome, but he has to wait. It's like that with Peter, always has been and he catches himself smiling again as he folds the map the way it's supposed to be and tucks it into the glove box. They're on a straight run now, road shaded by pines on either side and the radio on low. "You get one night with Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry - all the hot brain melting sex you want for as long as you want, he'll even wear the tank and let you fuck him on the motorcycle." Peter wriggles his eyebrows and Jared sprays soda on the dash.

"Is this Brenda Shannen or Shannen Shannen and do I get to take video?"

"Brenda Shannen and video, photos, you'll even get a 'I've been fucked by Dylan!' certificate. But here's the catch." Peter reaches between Jared's thighs for the bag of Gummi Bears, manages to cop a feel while he roots around 'til he finds an orange one and sucks it into his mouth with an obscene slurp. Jared really shouldn't find that as sexy as he does. "You have to be Betty White's boy toy for a week before."

"Boy toy as in dressed in tiny shorts, feeding her peeled grapes and fetching her martinis? Or boy toy as in sex and dressed in tiny shorts, feeding her peeled grapes and martinis?"

"Sex. Anything she wants to do too, and you just knows she's gonna be depraved, man."

"Dude, that's harsh!"

"But it's Shannen Doherty _and_ Luke Perry, at the same time or separately or however you want them. For a whole night."

"It'd have to be a never ending night."

"You know the rules, no time travel or magic. Come on, what'll it be?"

Jared sighs and lets his head fall on the dash with a thunk. Of course Peter knows he's gonna say yes. Peter rigs it every damn time so that he can't do anything but say yes. Asshole.

*

The closer they get to stopping for the night, the tighter Jared's belly gets; all knots and butterflies and it's stupid at the same time it's really not. It's not like they haven't spent the night together before, not like they've never had sex - taking what time they could, whenever they could. But this isn't like any of those times, this is the first night of the rest of their lives and Jared snorts at himself a little at that 'cause that's the stupid part. Okay, he's thought about it; about how they're gonna be in ten, twenty and more years, how Peter's gonna get a pot belly and Jared's gonna lose his hair like his grandfather, how they're gonna be awesome at whatever they choose to do and that they'll do it together, no matter what.

And that makes him laugh to himself, shake his head and call himself a girl and shrug at Peter when he looks over with his eyebrow raised and that _'you really are nuts'_ look on his face.

"No, it's nothing, I - you ever - no, it's - just ignore me."

"Find it hard to do anything else."

"You get the floor."

"Nah, you get the tub, it's not like you won't fit."

*

The Twin Pines Hotel is the only one they booked in advance, chancing the rest of the trip to finding somewhere that wasn't a cockroach ridden hole in the middle of nowhere and it isn't anything like Jared expected. He was thinking maybe Motel 6 or something. This isn't anything like a Motel 6. There's an in and out driveway with a _valet_ for starters and a fucking _carpet_ leading to pillars and potted trees by the huge glass doors in front. 

Jared doesn't want to get out of the car, suddenly conscious of the dirty marks on his knees from the bathroom and the way he and Peter stink, truth be told.

He checks the paperwork again, leans his head out the window to look back down the street, see if their Twin Pines Hotel is hiding down there. "This can't - Peter, this is the place, right?"

"Colleen -" And then Peter's fiddling with his hair and straightening his shirt and getting out of the car to hand the keys over to the valet with all the considerable bullshit he can call up and Jared can't help it, he laughs, slaps Peter on the back and follows him inside.

They both fit in the bathtub. They could fit another two each of them in the bed and the walk in shower is fucking awesome. They fuck in and on all of them, hurried and desperate, like if they stopped all of this would get taken away, like they haven't got close to two months of nothing but the road, each other and as many cheesy tourist attractions as they can cram in before they absolutely have to turn around and head back.

It's late when get around to dinner, call up room service and fat juicy burgers and a huge plate of fries, eat sprawled out on an already messy bed, Peter's leg thrown over Jared's thighs and Jared's elbow in Peter's ribs. 

"Your mom's fucking awesome, man," as Jared shoves a handful of fries in his mouth, chasing them down with one of the little bottles of Jack from the mini bar.

"She said she didn't know what the hell I was talking about, called me a crazy phone stalker and hung up on me."

"I rest my case."

Peter leans over Jared to get to the map, brushes his lips over Jared's navel as he moves back and it doesn't matter how many times Peter does that, it still makes his belly flip and his skin tingle.

"So, tomorrow." He shakes out the map and it falls perfectly - because Jared folded it right - at their feet, red lines travelling north, lay overs marked in green, longer stays in blue and if Jared squints it looks kind of like some crazy art project. "We said we'd be here," Peter runs his finger along a red line to the second green mark, "but I think we should do the late check out thing and maybe see if we can't catch some waves on the way?"

And when Peter says 'we', he really means 'he' because despite the lessons Colleen paid for and the board strapped to the roof, Jared's more of a paddler than a surfer. He's okay with that, he just floats in Peter's wake, face turned up to the sun and his feet dangling in the water.

Jared pushes at the map, lets it fall on the floor as he climbs into Peter's lap, gets his knees either side of Peter's hips and rocks down, pushes his fingers back through Peter's hair and leans down close enough to kiss him. He doesn't, just teases his lips over Peter's, just breath between them.

"And see if we can't get sand where sand ain't supposed to go?" Peter get his hands on Jared's hips, noses up under his jaw, finds that place just by Jared's ear that makes him make a noise a while back he'd have been embarrassed about, but not now, not here, not when he's not got a damn thing to be embarrassed about. " _Jesus_ \- maybe see if I can't get you off right there on the beach with no one seeing."

Peter gets his hands up under Jared's shirt, runs his fingers over Jared ribs and the spaces in between, flicks his thumb over Jared's nipple 'til Jared can't breathe, can't do anything but hold on, dig his nails into Peter's scalp and scratch. "Kinky fucker."

"Uh huh." And then he's shifting down, lips kissing slow over Peter's skin, finds his collarbone, his nipple and the dip right by his hip before he looks up, catches Peter's eye and smiles, maybe a little shy, maybe a little not and bites on the jut of Peter's hipbone. "Wanna see just how much?"

*

They don't get back on the road 'til way past noon; a long, lazy breakfast in bed and a longer shower, Peter on his knees and Jared's back sliding down the tile when he comes so hard he thinks maybe he'll pass out.

They find their beach, the waves high enough for Peter to whoop and run, board tucked under his arm and the sand kicking up under his feet. Jared follows as Jared does, stupid smile on his face as he squints against the sun. Peter's gonna be sore later and Colleen will kick their asses for forgetting the sunscreen, but he just dives into the water after Peter anyway, paddles out on his board to chase the waves.

Jared doesn't get Peter off on the beach, he uses his _'I'm not getting sand in hard to reach places'_ veto. Peter tries - not very hard - to call him on it, Jared's idea in the first place and all that. He shuts up when Jared just smiles and drags him back to the car, pushes him into the back and crawls between his legs, the door barely closing behind him before he pulls Peter's damp towel over his head.

And when they're done, Jared shoves the money from his envelope into Peter's - it's not like they need two anyway - and scoops up a handful of sand, scribbles the date on the front of it and tucks it into his rucksack.

"Okay, now we can go."

And long after they get home, there'll still be sand in the foot well…

Jared doesn't call his dad from the hotel room that night, he uses the phone out front next to the vending machine, loads it and the vending machine up with the pocket full of change he's collected over the last couple of days. The snacks and sodas take longer to roll out at the bottom than his call to his dad.

*

It gets greener but not cooler the further north they go. They find log cabins and quaint little B&Bs, long stretches of deserted beach and miles of blacktop reaching into the horizon. They lose days and Jared remembers every detail about every single one of them, doesn't think about home or school or anything but Peter and their next stop.

It's stupidly idyllic and there's a little part of Jared that's waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Peter to realize that Jared's not who Peter thinks he is, even after all this time. There's a bigger part of Peter that smacks Jared on the back of the head and calls him a dumbass when Jared can't keep it in any longer and whispers it against Peter's skin when he thinks he's asleep.

*

Ten days in and they're over halfway to their halfway point, the other side of border and heading East, the empty cigar box Jared saved from the trash can in his dad's study and shoved into the glove box already too small, the lid springing open every time either one of them tries to squeeze another little something they want to keep in there. The map's a whole new mess of red and green and blue now. Plans change along the way, longer stays in some places, shorter in others when what seemed like an awesome idea on paper turned out to not even come close. It throws them out of their schedule some but not enough that they still can't hit up all the places they want to, Jared's ever so anal need to have plans, balancing Peter's, _'Ah fuck it, let's do this instead',_ just right. 

They eat something not dyed green but really green every couple of days or so because they promised Colleen they would, remember sunscreen after they lose a day to sunburn in unfortunate places and take turns driving on the long runs to the next place on their list. They eat giant hotdogs and stand under monuments and ask passers by to take photos, send a postcard to Colleen every time they stop for the night, two smiley faces and the name of the hotel the only thing written on the back. They sleep late curled around each other and fight about whose turn it is to go get pastries. And Jared kicks his own ass at least a couple of times for thinking that maybe this isn't the way they're supposed to be. He also kicks his own ass a couple more times for being a sap.

*

There's no water in the pool, apart from the stagnant few inches left at the deep end, but they're laid out on cracked misshaped loungers anyway, a table off to one side with what's left of lunch and two half empty, now warm cans of Pepsi. It's too hot to move, sweat making the small of Jared's back stick to the plastic. Peter's got one hand resting on his own belly, the other on Jared's thigh, drawing slow lazy circles that're driving Jared very possibly insane. If only he had the energy to do anything about it.

"Colleen wanted me to tell you that she misses us and the postcard with the phallic tomato on it was both inappropriate and hilarious."

"She's got it on the fridge with the others, hasn't she?"

"Pride of place next to your masterpiece from that arts camp thing we went to in seventh grade."

"I throw that fucking thing out every week, Peter."

"And she keeps getting it out of the trash. Anyone would think she had a soft spot."

"You're a soft spot."

"Not right now I'm not." 

And Peter's a son of a bitch 'cause Jared can't help but look and the towel he's got over his lap's doing nothing to hide anything and it's still too hot, no air-con in their room either, but that doesn't stop the sharp spike of want that hits Jared low in the chest. 

"You're such an asshole."

"And yet you still want me." Peter's grinning, his sunglasses up in his hair to push it up off his face and he looks way too pleased with himself, that he can just say shit like that and it all be true.

"It's subliminal. You play those tapes to me when I'm asleep, you know the ones where you can learn Esperanto while you sleep, except they're, _'Like Peter 'cause he's a needy fucker who can't go a day without getting head'_. I don't even like you."

They doze in the sun, skin greasy from sunscreen and sweat, neither of them bothering to move much besides grabbing another soda from the - still - obnoxiously pink cooler. Jared's still kinda smug about how much they actually need the damn thing. And Peter just uses it like it was his idea all along.

They head inside once the mosquitoes decide that the little pool of stagnant water is no contest for actual blood, both of them slapping at already sore skin as they grab up their gear and run for their room. It's still hot inside, the air stale and still, the bed a mess from before. They've got the room furthest from the office, nearest to the broken chain link fence surrounding the parking lot, it's not quiet, but it's away from anyone that might complain about Peter's off key '10CC' or the headboard hitting the wall hard enough to crack the already flaking plaster. And it's home for tonight and the time it takes them to do laundry tomorrow.

"First!" Peter dumps his share of the gear in the doorway and runs to the bathroom, tripping over two weeks of laundry before he disappears into the bathroom the door swinging open again as soon as he's through.

"What are you, twelve?" They tried showering together when they first got in, road dirty and tired, gave it up as a bad deal when the flimsy shower curtain stuck to Jared's ass and Peter backed into the soap dish.

Jared just shrugs and kicks the pile of laundry into to a neater pile by the bathroom door, thinks about it for less than a second before he's dumping his shorts on top and heading into the bathroom.

Fuck the shower curtain and the soap dish.

"There should be a super power where you never had to take a shower, just woke up clean every morning. I'd take that one."

"You wanted gold magnet!" over the spray as Jared climbs in behind him. "And what about awesome shower sex? If you didn't have to shower we wouldn't get awesome shower sex." Peter turns, gets his hands on Jared's hips. He's got his hair up in a shampoo Mohawk and he looks ridiculous and Jared just wants to kiss him.

"I wouldn't _have_ to take a shower, but I still _can_ take a shower. I'm not Elphaba, Peter." He scratches his fingers through Peter's hair, pushes his head back under the spray to get the shampoo out.

"Oh man, that was whacked out." Peter shuffles sideways, pulling Jared 'round with him, gets him under the tiny shower head and dumps half of the little complimentary shampoo on Jared's head, works it in and pours the rest in his hands to work up a lather. And Jared just goes kinda boneless, like every other time Peter does this; lets Peter move him around in the too-small tub, work his fingers into Jared's skin. It's pretty much heaven.

"I'm never watching that movie again without weird flashbacks." Jared's facing the wall now, his hands braced on the tile and his head dipped to let the spray fall on his neck as Peter runs soapy hands down his back and over his ass.

"And Colleen's brownies should always come with a mind fuck warning." Right up against the back of Jared's neck, stubble scratching at his skin, teeth biting just a little before he kisses over the sting. And now Jared's full on useless. He's got his buttons, you see, and Peter knows every damn one of them.

"Getting stoned with your mom watching 'Wizard of Oz' should come with a mind fuck warning, man." At least that's what it sounds like in his head, it's more like a mumbled out grunt now Peter's got his hands skating over Jared's ribs, the soap gone, just skin on skin and Jared can't help but roll his hips back. It's all Peter's fault.

"No talking about my mom when I'm about to blow you." And Peter's dropping to his knees, pulling at one hip, pushing at the other 'til Jared turns 'round and then he's got a second to get his feet planted steady before Peter's swallowing him down and Jared's got nothing to hold on to but Peter's hair, sure he's pulling too hard, but holding on just the same.

It's not slow and it's not pretty, Peter chokes a couple times trying to take Jared down all the way and Jared comes way too fast, his knees hitting the tub with a thud that hurts when he can't hold himself up any longer, but Jared'll swear up and down it's up there with the best blow jobs he's ever had. 

The end up staying an extra couple days, it's not perfect, but it's cheap and not a roach pit. Besides, the diner down the street has the best chocolate chip pancakes Jared's ever tasted and the little bar cum grocery next door doesn't card if they only order lite beer. They get their laundry done, take Polaroids of bugs the size of Peter's fist while they're waiting for it to dry and mail them to Colleen wrapped in hotel note paper that Jared writes 'SURPRISE!' on in messy print.

*

Jared's got three piles of money on the bed. A slip of paper on top of each; 'Now', 'The Way Back' and 'Contingency'. The 'Now' pile's not looking so bad, they're about a hundred up on what they thought they'd have this far in, the other two piles still intact with their rubber bands tight enough to make the notes curl. He's not gonna call his dad and tell him he was wrong about needing a bail out before the month was out, his silence should be enough.

"We should get somewhere fancy next time." Peter's folding - if you can call it that - his clean laundry. It's taking up way more room this time than when they first packed and he's shoving at the corners like that's going to make a difference. "Dude, you're doing it wrong. _Roll_ and then shove."

"You roll." He pulls all of it out again, shirts and pants scattered all over the floor now as he stares at his case like it shrunk overnight. "I swear you snuck some of your shit in here, there's no way this is all mine."

Jared pats his case, already packed and shut and sitting by the bed. "If your giant ass didn't need tent pants then they'd fit."

"At least I don't wear Ken clothes."

"Small and yet perfectly formed. Wait - Ken doesn't have junk."

Peter just shrugs and smiles and ends up on his back on the bed with Jared's - very much there thank you - junk in his face and Jared's fingers digging in his ribs.

"Take that back!" Jared pokes a little bit harder and Peter kind of flails a bit, slapping at Jared's ass, the small of his back, mumbling something against the inside of Jared's thigh.

"What's that? My Ken junk suffocating you?" Jared lifts his leg a little, 'cause Peter's stopped flailing now and he's just patting Jared's side like he really can't breathe.

Rookie mistake. Jared should know better by now.

"Sucker!" And now Jared's on his back and Peter's got both his arms pinned above his head and his knees jammed against the insides of Jared's thighs. "I said - can't take back a shrug, asshole."

Jared struggles, but it's useless - or more accurately, he lets it be useless. Just lets himself go lax, pulls his knees up to wrap his legs around Peter's waist and tips his chin up to nudge at Peter's jaw. Peter's got his buttons too.

"You fucked up the money, Peter." The nice neat piles now strewn all over the bed and it looks like they're in that movie where that guy rolls around in his millions on the bed, but with more singles.

"Gonna fuck you on the money, Jared." And Jared really can't help the noise he makes then, or the way his heel digs into the rise of Peter's ass as he shifts, thighs getting a good grip on Peter's hips and yanking him down hard.

Jared kisses him, hot and fierce, rides up, back arching off the bed and back as much as being pinned down allows, but it's enough for Peter to get it, to feel just how much Jared is one hundred percent behind that idea. 

And Peter grinds down, grips Jared's wrists harder and pushes his arms up high, 'til they're aching, 'til Jared's fingers are brushing the headboard.

"Hold on -" And Jared just nods, curls his fingers round scuffed wood and arches his back again.

"Come on - " He sounds desperate, doesn't care that he does, just rides up when Peter kisses him, bites at Peter's lip, a silent _'get the fuck on with it'_.

"Yeah - fuck - okay." And Peter makes that noise Jared fucking _loves_ , noses up under Jared's jaw and sucks hard enough to bruise, drags his fingers down Jared's arms and up under his t-shirt, works it up 'til it's bunched up and then he's shifting down, dragging stubble over skin, lips and teeth and Jared wants to touch, wants to get his hands in Peter's hair, tug him where he wants to be but he doesn't, just holds on harder, 'til his knuckles are white and his fingers are cramping.

Peter moves lower and Jared lifts up to watch, lets his thighs fall wide as Peter bites at his belly, dips his tongue into Jared's navel and okay, so Peter really is trying to kill him right now.

"Killing me - _Jesus_!" Jared pushes at Peter's hip with his foot, works his toes a little lower 'til he's pressing just right and Peter grunts against his belly, bites again before he sits up on his knees, rips open the buttons on Jared's jeans maybe a little too hard.

"Off -" And Jared lifts up, wriggles out of his jeans and shorts as Peter yanks them down his legs and kicks them off the end of the bed.

He lays there for a second catching his breath, watches as Peter slides off the end of the bed and strips off and okay, he's thought about Peter naked, a lot, but it never stops being fucking awesome. The way his muscles bunch and shift when he moves, how his dick's curving up against his belly, how it's because of him and all for him. 

Peter ducks off to root through his rucksack, comes back with the stuff and crawls back up between Jared's legs and looks at him like he wants to fucking eat him alive. And that's another thing Jared's never going to get used to, or bored with if he's honest. How Peter can _see_ and how much he just wants. It's a little overwhelming and Jared's flushing red again, chest all the way up and he doesn't bother trying to hide it when Peter's got him laid bare and so fucking desperate.

"Quit lookin' and start doin'."

"Just shut up and don't let go." Jared just grins at Peter then, draws his knees up and plants his heels in the mattress, lets his knees fall wide, knows Peter's a sucker for that and he doesn't disappoint, cusses under his breath as he falls forward, kisses Jared with his whole damn body and _he_ knows just what Jared's a sucker for too.

They've never, in all the time they've been doing this, gotten a handle on the going slow thing, it's not anything they've really tried to be fair and now's not the time to be thinking about anything like going slow. Peter's hands are warm, his fingers cool from the slick and just like every time before this one, it takes his breath away when Peter presses inside. There's a second when Peter doesn't move, has this look of fucking awe on his face and then he's pulling back, teasing just a little as he kisses down over Jared's jaw, his neck, licks at Jared's collarbone as he wraps a fist 'round Jared's dick, drags his teeth over Jared's nipple as he gets inside again and Jared's writhing up off the bed now, gripping the headboard hard enough for it to creak.

"Oh _fuck_!"

He's wound up too tight, wants so hard it almost hurts, toes curling in the sheets and one of the crumpled bills, his breath little more than short useless pants and this is gonna be over before they get to the good stuff if Peter keeps on.

"Relax." Right before Peter bites at his hip and gets another finger alongside the first.

"You fucking relax -" He kicks at Peter's leg and Peter just laughs, twists both wrists and Jared near shoots up off the bed when Peter hits that place that makes him white out and then he's fucking done, loses it all over his belly and the underside of Peter's jaw. "Asshole!" He doesn't mean it, but he kinda does.

No time to come down, doesn't want any either. Peter pulls back just enough to get his fingers free, get the condom wrapper between his teeth to tear it open and Jared can see his hands shaking, hears him hiss as he rolls it on, slicks himself up a little and then pulling at Jared's hips 'til he's got Jared's ass resting on his thighs and Jared's knees bent over his shoulders and he pushes in, one long slow press, no time for either of them to adjust and it knocks Jared's breath clean out of him.

Jared's near bent double, ass in the air and legs cramping as Peter kisses him, messy and hard, tastes himself there as Peter gets his arms up under Jared's back to get hold of his shoulders, fingers digging into skin as he fucks Jared hard.

And Jared just holds on, barely holds it together and can't not touch now, needs it as much as this, lets go to get his hands on Peter's back, scratch down his spine with blunt nails to grab his ass, pull him in as he sucks at Peter's lip, crosses his ankles behind Peter's head and to arch his back, get his ass higher, gets Peter deeper and _fuck_ there's that spot again and Jared just takes it; loses himself in it, loses track of time, there's nothing by Peter and _this_. And Peter's holding on just as tight, breathing nonsense into Jared's mouth with every kiss, each bite a little harder as he pulls at Jared, tries to get them closer. And then Peter's freezing and jerking and breathing hard into Jared's mouth and leaving bruises in Jared's shoulders before he lets out one last sharp breath and collapses.

"Hmmmfph." Jared bats at Peter's ass, wriggles his own 'til Peter lifts his head from Jared's shoulder and looks at him like he might be an alien or something. "Couldn't breathe."

"Pussy." Peter kisses Jared again real quick, groans as he peels himself back, gets them untangled but not before he drags his fingers through the mess on Jared's belly, pinches at Jared's skin.

"Fucker." Jared pushes at Peter to get him off, pulls at him just to kiss him again and he's shaking, every part of him aching, but the grin he's got going on just won't go away.

"Uh-huh." Peter smiles as big as Jared and he takes his time pulling back, kisses him a couple more times before he scoots back of the end of the bed. 

Jared absolutely watches Peter's ass as he heads to the bathroom.

*

Packing round two is a little more successful - as far as packing goes - Jared rolls and Peter shoves and when they're done there's even a little room to spare, just like there was when they packed in the first place. Jared might be a little too pleased about that and Peter smacks him on the back of the head and makes him load up the car while he grabs breakfast to go.

They stop at the library on their way out of 'town', find a beaten up Canada Tourism guide on a shelf by the door, somewhere to stay and someone to point them in the right direction.

*

It's raining when they cross over into Alberta, the Bug's wiper blades squeaking on the windshield and rain dripping in through the leaky seal in the driver's side door. Jared's got his feet up on the dash, Chucks undone, the laces flicking as he taps out 'Under The Bridge'. They've been driving for hours, his ass is numb and the small of his back aches and no amount of shifting makes a damn bit of difference, but he's happy, doesn't care that he'll be creaking like an old man when it's time to stop, gas up and grab road food. He's on the road and they're making good time. And he has Peter.

"The other version was better."

"Yeah, more shouty, less balady."

"Less commercial."

"Less of a sell out.

"Yeah - let's never do that, okay?"

"Okay."

They stop at a tiny mom and pop place and Jared swears the guy who fills the tank and washes the windshield is a hundred if he's a day and they wait inside, filling up an old, beat-up wire basket with crap 'til he's done and they can pay, leave with two paper grocery bags, one full, the other folded carefully and laid on top of the souvenir box. They're gonna need a bigger box.

It's another hundred or so miles before they find the lake and Jared almost misses it.

"There!" Peter's pointing at the map like Jared can see it, his fingers jabbing at the paper almost hard enough to go right through.

" _Road_ , Peter!" even as he's taking his eyes off the road to glance at the map. They've gone up and down this same stretch of road more times than either of them care to admit and it's getting to the point now, with the sun down behind the tress and twilight settling in, that he's about ready to give up and they can sleep in the damn car.

" _There_ , look." Peter's pointing in front now, at the tiny sign barely two feet off the ground.

"Finally."

The road's more holes than actual road and the car bumps along, their gear and Jared's teeth rattling and he's holding onto the steering wheel so tight his hands are white. He's beginning to think a week by a lake in the middle of nowhere is less of an awesome idea every second. He's not going to mention that just yet.

The next couple hundred feet feel more like miles, the going slow and Jared's seriously regretting the extra donut he had earlier; the dough curdling in his gut a little more every time he hits a bump in the road.

"This was so your idea." It wasn't, but he's gonna blame Peter for it anyway. 

Peter's not biting, he's just rubbing the top of his head for something like the fifth time since they made the turn and he's looking more pissed with every bump, like it's Jared's fault his head's hitting the roof that hard.

"There, look." He's pointing at a row of lights, and the closer they get Jared can see that they're hanging from a porch. A porch in front of the cabin they've got for the week, if the guy on the phone wasn't lying. 

" _Dude_ \- " He's not gonna deny he's a little lost for words.

They park up out front, Jared's still not sure it's the right place, it's _too_ perfect for what they're gonna pay for it. The porch goes all the way 'round back, faded shingles on the roof and ivy hanging low to brush over a beaten up breakfast set, two chairs propped against a round table, a basket with a can of coffee, a plate of cookies and a welcome note in the center.

Inside there's a worn couch, an old knitted afghan thrown over the back, huge cushions to match on the armchair and when Jared looks over at Peter he's grinning like they found a gold mine.

"This is _awesome_!" 

They find the 'bathroom' out back, an outhouse and an old tin tub big enough for two next to a hand pump.

Jared grabs up the note attached to the pump just before Peter can get to it, waves it in his face before flicking his wrist just so to shake it out.

"'Light the coals under the tub. Wait a while before you get in or you'll burn your ass.'"

"Awesome."

It's the first time the whole time they've been on the road that they've unpacked, actually put their shit away in drawers and closets, gone out to buy groceries and settled in.

They light the fire even though it's not cold, make a mess of supper when they both drink too much of the cider they find in one of the kitchen cabinets and fall asleep on the slightly musty rug in front of what's left of the fire.

"Urrgh." Jared wakes up with his face in Peter's armpit and his left arm is completely numb.

"Hey." Peter kisses him, all morning breath and stubble and Jared pulls a face before he thinks _'fuck it'_ and rolls over on top of Peter to kiss him some more.

"'Time's it?"

"Er - morning?" There's birds and light and the fire's nothing more than ash in the grate.

Peter kisses him again, slow and soft, fingers all tangled up in Jared's hair and his knee pressing up just right. "Hold that thought. Need to pee." 

They trade off, Jared washes up a little under the pump out back; the water's cold but it wakes him up a little and when he gets back, Peter's got breakfast going. There's eggs and bacon, glasses of juice and thick slices of toast. It smells fantastic.

"One day you'll make someone an awesome wife."

"Pfft, you're the woman in this relationship. Now shut the fuck up and eat, I slaved for hours and you're giving me shit."

Jared flips Peter the finger and shoves four pieces of bacon in his mouth at the same time, grins around his mouthful and kicks his feet up on the chair opposite.

"You're so sexy right now, man."

Jared just nods and tries to get a whole piece of toast in his mouth in one go.

"Admit it, you've never wanted me more," in a spray of crumbs.

Peter throws the potholder at Jared's head and steals the rest of the bacon. "Brush your teeth first and I might think about it."

They head out after breakfast. The cabin's on the edge of a huge lake, nothing to see for miles apart from mist on the horizon and bugs just above the water line. It's almost too quiet. Jared fucking loves it.

They find a row boat on the dock and head out to the middle of the lake, lay out in the sun 'til it gets too hot, dive in to cool off and make out while they're waiting for their shorts to dry. And get wet again when Jared loses an oar trying to get his shorts back on.

"You suck," as Peter climbs back into the boat, hair all a mess and the oar clutched tight to his chest.

"Never complained about it before." Jared climbs into Peter's lap and they try not to lose another oar. 

There's a grill on the porch, rusty and beaten up, but they get it lit, grill steaks and corn as the sun disappears behind the trees and the bugs come out for the night. They haven't seen a single soul all day and when they're done, a cold beer each and their feet up on the porch rail, just for a minute Jared plays with the idea that they could stay here, blow off the rest of the world. It's a stupid fantasy, he knows it is, but looking at Peter, half dozing in the chair next to him, he thinks that maybe they could just do it.

Five days in and it feels like they've been here forever, Jared's got his feet up under Peter's armpits and his hands resting on Peter's thighs, his fingers and toes are wrinkled and the water's cloudy from soap around them, sloshing a little over the side anytime either of them moves. It's starting to get cold, but neither of them can be bothered to get out. If they could get away with it, Jared would so take the tub with them.

"It won't fit on the roof, Jared." It's kinda spooky how Peter can do that, but Jared really shouldn't be that surprised, they've been in each other's pockets for close to ten years. Peter sits up a little, drags his fingers back through his hair, it's starting to dry in messy curls round his ears and Jared's itching to get his fingers tangled in it. 

"Just have to find one like it for our place then, right?" Peter nods and slips back under the water again, digs his toes in Jared's ribs as he ducks his head back and turns to bite at Jared's toe.

"Ow!" Jared kicks out and more water goes over the side and then Peter's jumping up and shaking his head like a wet dog and grabbing Jared's hand to pull him up.

"Come on, getting cold."

The towels are scratchy but the comforter on the bed's worn and soft so they dry off real quick just like always and lay out 'til they're properly dry, close enough for Jared to get his fingers in Peter's hair, tug the knots out and scratch at his scalp. The sun's going down, they've just got tonight left before they have to hit the road again, enough behind schedule now that they're gonna have to book it for a couple days to catch up.

Jared falls asleep after Peter, his fingers still tangled up in Peter's hair, trying too hard not to think about tomorrow, how it'll be the start of heading home. 

Jared watches the cabin disappear in the rearview and can't help thinking it's all down hill from there.

*

Peter calls him on it after he doesn't say a word for seventy five miles.

"Okay, give."

"It's -" He could say _'nothing'_ but then Peter would call bullshit and pull the car over and refuse to get going 'til Jared spilled. "Don't wanna go home." His voice is almost too quiet to hear, said more into his chest than to Peter, but he hears it anyway.

"I know, man. I know." Peter doesn't offer reasons why they have to go home, Jared already knows them, came up with most of them himself when they played with the idea of just hitting the road and never coming back. Okay, so they were fifteen and Jared's dad was redefining 'asshole', but they knew then there was no not coming back. Doesn't mean Jared can't think about it every now and again.

"Sorry." Jared picks at a hole in his jeans, tugs at a loose strand 'til it unravels some more and if that isn't poetic right there, he doesn't know what the fuck is.

"You haven't told him yet, have you?"

"Peter -" This is so _not_ the time to have this conversation.

"Okay, but we are going to talk about this. You can't just not tell him."

"I'm not stupid, Peter."

Peter just looks over at him then; mouth a tight, pissed-off line as he cranks the music up loud and gets on with getting them where they need to be. 

Neither of them speaks to each other for the rest of the journey and it's the longest four hours of Jared's life. 

Peter slams his door when he gets out, the whole car jerking with the force of it and Jared does the same, not to be outdone. They don't often do this; let stupid stuff boil up and over, one or both of them more likely as not to crack after a couple hours and say something stupid and it'll be over. Not this time though, apparently, and Jared's pissed at everything and nothing and Peter's stupid face and Peter's stupid being reasonable about everything and he walks off before Peter can come out of the office with their room key.

“Where are you going?” But he didn’t get out of sight before Peter came out of the office. Damn it.

“What do you care?” He’s shouting over his shoulder, won’t turn round and look at Peter, ‘cause then he’ll just stop and he doesn’t want to stop, he wants to walk off and be angry and stamp his feet and be fucking five.

“You know what? Fuck you! I don’t care!” And that stings and that’s why Peter said it and Jared knows that and 

“Yeah, okay whatever!” Jared’s trying for bored, but it doesn’t sound that way and Peter’ll know that, of course he will, but Jared still rounds the corner anyway and pretends he doesn’t hear Peter’s _’and don’t come back!’_

Jared knows he's been and gone and fucked everything up. But he's not ready to say that, to admit that he's more than a little afraid of telling his father he's not going to Yale, hasn't even applied, going for USC and UCLA and pre-med, following Peter instead, sure that they'll both get a full ride. The packs'll be on the table in the hall when he gets home, college names clear on the white envelopes, no mistaking where he _didn't_ apply and his dad will be pissed and his mom will be disappointed and it'll be a huge clusterfuck he doesn't want to deal with. So of course he takes that out on Peter 'cause Peter mentioned it, even though Peter'll know what to say and how to fix it all and Jared won't listen and then he will and it - okay, it won't be all fine and dandy - but it'll be better and that's all he can hope for. But right now, nothing's even close to fine and dandy 'cause he walked away, did the thing his father always said he would. And he'll be fucked if he becomes what his father expects.

Leonard wants a carbon copy of himself, corporate all the way through, high profile clients screwing the little guy out of every penny for daring to question something as wrong. Huge companies with no souls and Leonard Franklin defending every inch of their rights, twisting the law 'til it's something barely recognizable, money and power the only reward. Jared vowed as soon as he understood what was going on that he'd never be that man, told his dad to his face and from that day to this, the man has told Jared he was doomed to fail. And now, Jared's doing just what he swore he never would, he's running away, not willing to face the shit storm when facing the shit storm is what'll make it better.

He's a dumbass.

It's almost dark when he looks up to see where he is, no idea how far he's walked or where the fuck he is, just that he's sitting on a bench somewhere, he's starving and he can't see the hotel.

Shit.

He doesn't remember turning any corners, so he just turns 'round and starts walking back the way he came. 

The car's parked close to the end of the row of rooms, right where they'd ask for, but Jared's got no idea which is theirs or, if he's honest with himself, if he's welcome, so he goes to the office instead, a pussy for a just a little bit longer as he grabs a couple sodas and a big bag of chips from the vending machine, thinks about calling his dad for maybe a second, and actually laughs out loud at how ridiculous even the idea of that is right now when before anything, he needs Peter.

He's got the other key, but he doesn't use it, knocks instead, quiet at first, like he doesn't want Peter to answer, harder the second time and waits, hands shoved in his pockets and his lip caught hard between his teeth.

The door flies open and then Peter's got his hand in Jared's shirt and he's getting dragged into the room, barely time to catch a breath before Peter's kicking the door shut behind them and pushing Jared hard up against it.

"Jesusfuckingchrist, Jared!" Peter kisses like he's fighting, bites at Jared's lip, sucks hard enough to bruise as he gets his hands everywhere, up under Jared's shirt and into his hair, breathing hard and holding him tight and Jared really is a huge dumbass.

"'M sorry."

"Just shut up - come here -" Peter pulls him away from the door and over to the bed, throws him down and covers him, chest to toes, kisses him 'til he can't breathe and then does it some more.

"Don't - fuck, Jared. Don't do that, okay?" Peter doesn't let him reply, just kisses him again, softer this time, eyes open and looking right into Jared's eyes, like he might disappear if he even blinks.

"We should -" Peter pulls back just enough that Jared can see him without going cross-eyed. 

"What? Talk? Don't wanna talk, Jared, can talk later okay? Just -" Peter's pulling at Jared's shirt, pushing it up and Jared's all for getting lost in this, brushing the crap under the carpet and hoping it'll stay there. But - and yeah, there's always a but - right now he can't.

"Wait - just a minute okay?"

Peter sits back, face flushed and he's nodding even though Jared knows it's the last thing Peter wants to do.

Jared sits up, bends his knees, his legs crossed at the ankles and wraps his arms around them tight, rests his head on his knees. 

"Am I doing the right thing? I mean, this isn't just to piss my dad off, right? Not you, but the college thing, not going to Yale, not picking top ten. This is for us, right? Not just so I can get back at my dad for being an ass, even though it kinda is?"

Peter's smiling at him, shaking his head and shuffling close enough to get his legs on the outside of Jared's and his chin resting on top of Jared's head.

"You liked the program at USC, the dorms were pretty cool too and they were falling over themselves to have you apply so it's not going to suck. But if you want to go to Yale then go to Yale. We'll work it out."

Yale is the last place he wants to go and not just 'cause his dad expects him to, or because it would be the other side of the country to Peter.

"And be a stuffed shirt with my head up my own ass? You'd never let me live it down."

"Got to have some standards, man," into Jared's hair, scrubs his chin over it a couple times hard enough to be almost a noogie before he pulls back, rests his hands over Jared's. "And you've got to tell him. You owe him that much." Peter's not gonna take an argument, Jared knows that tone.

"Okay - just not today, before we go back, I promise, just not today?" He knows Peter's not gonna march him to the phone out front and stand over him 'til it's done, but he still needs to know it's okay.

"You're not gonna have time." And Jared knows that look, knows there's still 'stuff' but that it'll wait for now. Lays back when Peter pushes at him, wraps his legs round Peter's hips when Peter follows him down and kisses _'sorry'_ over and over 'til he's sure Peter gets it.

Jared wakes up, not remembering falling asleep. He's still all wrapped up in Peter; arms and legs tangled and clothes a wrinkled mess. And he lays there for the longest time not thinking about anything except how much he never wants there to be anything else and he's being a huge girl and he doesn't even care. Just smiles and works his fingers under the back of Peter's t-shirt where it's ridden up, draws slow lazy circles on the small of Peter's back 'til he wakes up.

And Peter does the stretching his entire body thing that makes Jared's belly flip and his breath catch and there's no way he's going anywhere else but with Peter, not that he hadn't already decided that last night. But still.

"I really wanna fuck you right now."

"Morning, Jared." Peter's rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and fucking stretching again and there's nothing doing but to jump on him. Really, what does he expect?

"Morning." Jared's smiling as he kisses Peter, not caring about morning breath or the nagging need to pee now he's moved, just wants to kiss Peter. And other things too, but kissing will do for now.

"We fell asleep." Not anything but a statement of fact, but Jared feels kinda bad that it was probably him that fell asleep first.  
"Awake now." He's got Peter on his back, hands up under his shirt and his mouth on Peter's neck, all sleep warm and salty.

Peter gets his hands on Jared's ass, pulls down as he grinds up and oh yeah, both of them are definitely awake. "Bathroom, real quick." And then he's wriggling out from under Jared and off the bed and Jared's right behind him, doesn't want to waste a second.

They wash up real quick, swallowing toothpaste and running back to the bed, Jared nearly tripping over his jeans and Peter almost strangling himself on his own t-shirt. They're breathless by the time they get to the bed; Peter falling back as Jared pushes and he's not far behind, getting himself between Peter's legs and his hands are shaking, his head spinning, happy drunk and kinda stupid with it, like it's been months.

"I'm an idiot."

"Something we established a long time ago, Jared." Peter's smiling, pulling Jared down hard against him, impatient hands pushing at his shirt and pinching at his skin. "We gonna do this? You left me kinda hanging last night, dude."

A little stab of guilt and then Jared's over it quick as anything, bites at Peter's neck and digs his fingers in under Peter's ribs. "Getting there. Got plans." 

And Peter gets it, just like Jared knew he would, slows his hands and nods his head. "Yeah, okay."

Jared strips Peter out of his jeans slowly, takes time and care, learns again what he already knows. The little patch of hair darker than the rest on Peter's thigh where he tried out his dad's razor when they were twelve, the scattering of moles just behind his left knee they decided was a whole miniature universe that time they got drunk the weekend Colleen went to Green Man and left them alone. How his dick curves to rest on his belly, how the muscles there clench and bunch when Jared bites at his hip, how he breathes Jared's name and screws his fists up in the sheets when Jared takes him into his mouth, sucks and flicks his tongue before drawing back.

Learning like it's all new, like he never wants to forget, like he won't get to have this 'til he can't remember anything but.

He makes quick work of the rest of his own clothes, eyes not leaving Peter's for a second, loses himself a little in how Peter looks at him and he can't help it. Doesn't matter how many times they do this, how Peter looks at him every damn time, it still makes him blush, gets him looking down at himself for a second and wondering. But then Peter's grabbing at him, not waiting on him for a second longer than he has to, his hand on Jared's jaw, kissing him hard and desperate, breaking Jared out of it like he always does. 

 

He says sorry again as he lowers himself down, covers Peter chest to hips, knee pressed between Peter's thighs and he's smiling again, kissing Peter when his hands tangle in Jared's hair, get restless on the back of his neck. They're both so hard, slick heat easing the way as Jared grinds his hips down, bites at the hinge of Peter's jaw, gets his elbows dug into the mattress either side of Peter's chest and fucking _rides_ him, could get off just like this, have a thousand times before but it's not what they want, not what he needs.

Jared reaches out blindly for the bedside table, gets his hand batted away and Peter's hand 'round his wrist to shove it up under the pillow.

"Didn't wanna wait -"

There's a little bottle of slick and that's it - oh -

"Peter?" No hiding the question or the way Peter ducks his head a little and smiles before he nods. 

"We're both and I've never - and you haven't right? So we should -" Peter's falling over words and Jared can't even think of a single thing to say to any of it, just nods and grins 'til it starts to hurt, nods some more, his hair flopping in his face, like some stupid demented puppy.

They got over being nervous more than a while back, sure of each other and what they liked. But this is like before that, kinda. Jared still knows what he's doing, although the way his brain is trying to convince him it's pudding, he's not so sure. But he still _knows_ what gets Peter going, what slams the brakes on (they don't talk about that), what will absolutely make Peter lose it in less than a minute without fail. But right now it's like he's got not a single fucking clue.

"Jared."

"Huh?"

"Today?"

"Oh - yeah."

Jared gets his hands on Peter's knees pushes them up and wide, gets kinda distracted just looking, 'til he gets a kick on the calf and raised eyebrow pointed at him. It's not as if he can't not look, it's _Peter_ for fuck sake and yeah, he's never really getting over that either.

He's slow, careful even, eyes going from Peter's to where his fingers are pressing inside and all the places in between, needs to see the flush covering Peter's neck and the rise and fall of his chest, faster with every breath. Peter's got his hands tight in the sheets, his head thrown back and he's restless same as always, teeth hard in his lip as his hips writhe up, grind back down to take Jared in a little more and it's amazing and wonderful and Jared's just as breathless as he adds another, twists his wrist to press up just as he leans down to bite at Peter's hip.

"Sonofoabitch!" And then Jared's pulling free and covering Peter again, pushing inside and oh god there's - he can't - fuck - 

There's nothing can even come close to describing what Peter feels like around him. Too tight, too fucking hot and he's absolutely without a doubt sure that if he even thinks about moving, he's gonna be done. He's also sure that they're never having a single thing between them ever again and just as soon they're ready to go again, Peter's going to know that too.

Peter's got his hands on Jared's ass, fingers digging in hard as he shifts a little. "Gotta move - come on."

"Can't -" Jared's arms are shaking from holding still, breath caught tight in his chest and he tries to think about anything but where he is and how it feels, but it's impossible. So he just moves, knows there's no way back once he does, bites on his own lip just to feel the sting, fights with the almost uncontrollable urge to fuck hard and fast and have everything all at once and now.

Peter hooks his legs up then, wraps his thighs tight around Jared's hips and gets his ankles crossed, his heels pressed to Jared's ass and fucking _rolls_ his hip up, slow and dirty and that's a fucking low blow 'cause he knows just what that does to Jared, knows that there's no holding back after that.

Jared's knees slip over the sheets as he rears up, drives in hard enough to knock the headboard against the wall, gets his hands in Peter's hair and kisses him, wet and messy and mostly missing, bites when Peter's nails dig crescents in his skin, takes what Peter's giving him and comes back for more 'til he can feel it curling at the base of his spine, low burn across the backs of his thighs and he has a second to think it's going to be awesome before he's hit with a Mack truck, any rhythm he was pretending he had shot to shit between one useless breath and the next and Peter's got his hand between them, his knuckles bruising Jared's belly as he gets himself off and then he's being hit with it again, short and hard and fucking brutal.

His whole body just up and gives out on him then. He will be Jello for at least a week, no lie.

"Hey." Jared's vaguely aware he's got his head on Peter's shoulder and Peter's got his fingers carding up through the back of his hair. And his jaw kinda aches.

"Did you punch me?" muffled against Peter's skin.

"You head butted me when you passed out. I'm a sex god by the way."

"Think you'll find that's the other way round. Ow!" Yeah, so moving really isn't a good idea, ass cramps are nobody's friend.

"You passed out, ergo, I'm the sex god. It's simple, Jared."

"You're simple, Peter." He tries the moving thing again and this time his leg doesn't go into spasms so he's counting that as a win. When he looks up, Peter's got that _'well fucked and fucking loving it'_ smile on his face. One Jared can't help but return.

Jared shifts a little and decides that's not such a great idea. "I think we're glued together. Urgh." There's a moment, as impossible as that is, where Jared thinks it might actually be true when his skin pulls and Peter sucks in a breath. And then he's pulling back, hands on Peter's thighs to steady himself when all he wants to do is face plant back on Peter's chest.

The bed's a mess around Peter, Peter's a mess in the middle of it and Jared gets a little spike of want at how fucking good Peter looks, hair all this way and that and his arms and legs thrown out wide, like he owns the bed. Well, that's not far off being true. And now it's more than a little want and he doesn't even think to be embarrassed about where Peter's eyes have fallen to.

"I'm eighteen, Peter, there's a fucked out naked guy in my bed and I just had the best sex of my entire life. Of course I'm gonna be horny!"

"Shower and we'll see about who's fucked out."

*

It takes them longer to get from one place to the next, some unspoken agreement delaying the inevitable. They're on the way back, even though they still have a couple weeks, give or take a few days. They're heading south and a little bit west and that means the homeward stretch.

Peter doesn't mention telling Leonard to Jared again, but smiles when Jared comes back from a vending machine run with two bags of chips and a couple bottles of Coke and just says - "It's done."

"Is Colleen gonna have to break out the adoption papers?" Jared knows he's only half joking.

"It's okay." He's lying and he knows Peter knows, but Peter doesn't push it and Jared doesn't offer more. They'll get to it, Peter's got a way and Jared can't ever say no, but that's for later.

Peter just shakes out the map, lays it at his feet and waits for Jared to dump the haul on the chair by the door and climb up on the bed next to him. He kinda loves Peter a little bit more just for that.

*

It gets hotter the further south they go; green and trees giving way to rocks and sand, heat coming off the road in waves they drive through and chase after. They find a silver mining town in the middle of nowhere, just a bar, a diner and a tiny B&B. They eat pulled pork cooked in a huge pit out back of the diner, drink sweet tea in a huge swing out front, dozing as it rocks, their feet scuffing the dry dirt and kicking up what's left of the spring grass. They haven't seen a single soul for hours.

Jared's drooling on Peter's shoulder when the siren wakes him up. Ten minutes later and the whole town's there, seems like; trucks and motorcycles, but not one single car. It makes the Bug stand out like a sore thumb, gets them the odd look too, but everyone's friendly and come morning they get sent on their way with the cooler crammed full of homemade pie and lemonade and directions to a lake bed town legend has it aliens landed at.

Instead of E.T. they find the coolest ammonites Jared's ever seen and Peter only calls him a geek once before he's kissing him and helping him find some more. They spend too long, both get burnt, but Jared's sure the closer they get to home that time's speeding up so he holds back a little longer and Peter doesn't call him on it.

They find 'The World's Biggest Ball of Twine' for the third time since they set out, this one not so much biggest as fugliest, a place that makes hooch from dandelion flowers, that's both disgusting and so strong Jared pees what is swears is florescent yellow for the rest of the day and the one after that. It takes Jared a while to trust anything yellow again. 

They buy a two man tent in a sporting goods store the next town over on a whim, throw that and a stove and food for the night into the back of the car and drive out to the middle of nowhere, nothing on the horizon but a few trees. Jared burns their supper and Peter bends him over the car after, takes him hard and slow, 'til Jared's knees give out and he's a heap in the dirt. The tent never makes it out of the bag and Jared's got bug bites on his ass when he wakes up, but then Peter makes them breakfast - cold pop tarts and warm water from a plastic bottle - and Jared just can't find it in himself to care.

*

Peter's drawing flowers on the back of the postcard for Colleen they picked up this morning when Jared gets out of the shower. They sprung for something a little fancier this time, deciding to stay a couple days and drive through the next two to make up for it. The logic doesn't hold up, Jared knows that, but he likes it here and they haven't even touched the contingency money yet so that's what they're gonna do.

"Very pretty, Peter, try not to go outside the lines, okay?" He throws his wet towel at Peter's head and misses by a mile.

"Colleen wanted something other than smiley faces but definitely not penises, so flowers work right?"

"I would say - Dude, I can't believe your mom said 'penises' - but that wouldn't be true."

"She's going to follow us to college, Jared, just you wait."

"Awesome." And Jared means it.

He tries to ignore the gnawing ache in the pit of his belly when he falls asleep that night, his back to Peter's chest, Peter's arm slung across his hip and his knee jammed between Jared's thighs. But it's there again in the morning; doesn't get any worse, but sure as hell doesn't get any better, the nagging feeling that he forgot to do something when all he really wants to do is forget his dad's _'We'll talk about this when you get home, young man'_ from the other day. That one sentence enough to make him feel five again. And when they do 'talk' it'll be disappointment and disapproval all wrapped up in a reasonable argument Jared's heard too many times before.

"Stop it." Peter's breath's warm on the back of Jared's neck and the arm around him wraps tighter, drawing him in, and Jared just smiles and pushes himself a back a little more, not that there's any space between them.

"What?" And he knows what, Peter's not stupid, but Jared just needs to hear it sometimes. And no, he's not mining that particular thought any deeper.

"Thinking about when we get home. I don't want to think about when we get home. We've got four more days, so let's have four more days. The other shit will work itself out and if it doesn't there's my place. So stop and go back to sleep."

"Okay." He can feel Peter smiling and he's doing the same and the knot's not gone, it's not eased any either if he's being truthful, but picking at it over and over isn't gonna make it any better so he just knocks the back of his head against Peter's and wriggles his ass and lets himself fall asleep.

*

The plan to drive through the next two days doesn't really work out, both of them finding places they really have to see, things they wanted to do before they head back. It takes the four they'd originally planned it to. Peter calls Colleen and Jared his dad, Colleen sends her love and his dad barely grunts before he hangs up.

And now they really are on the home stretch. No more delays, they're expected home tonight, to Peter's at least. Jared can deal with his dad in the morning, maybe the next day if he can drag it out a little longer. Assuming of course he hasn't already sent George and the car for him, he wouldn't put it past him.

"You suck a spectacular amount, you know that, right?"

"There are so many ways you're right and many more that you're wrong."

"I'm talking directions, dude, not my dick."

"It's a straight road off a right turn, Jared. I'm not taking responsibility for you getting it wrong."

Jared's pretty sure he took a left. "And you distracted me." It's a pathetic come back, he feels ashamed of how pathetic a come back that is.

"Eight years and you only just now get the awesome that is my hotness? I pity you, man."

"Suck and full of shit." Insults work when all else fails. No, really they do.

Or maybe not. "That's so weak, man, it needs fucking crutches." Peter folds the map up again and he's finally getting it right, no extra folds where they shouldn't be and the road they're (should be) on right on top. 'Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area' out of sight on the side resting on Peter's lap, Jared wishes it was out of mind too. "See if you can make a left here, then another and that should put us back were we were and then take a _right_."

Jared just pokes his tongue out, gives Peter the finger and hunches a little over the steering wheel. He's feeling extra mature today.

It's entirely the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area's fault that it takes them close to six hours to drive across town. It has nothing at all to do with stopping for lunch, snacks, soda and a quick hand job in an abandoned lot in a neighborhood Jared's dad wouldn't be seen dead in.

*

George's car isn't outside Peter's house when they pull up, but Colleen has all the lights on and there's a fucking banner hanging across the front door:

'WELCOME HOME! AND WIPE YOUR DAMN FEET!'

Jared turns the key in the ignition, leans back in his seat and sits there for the longest time, the engine ticking the minutes away and after all of it, he doesn't have a fucking clue what to say.

Of course that's never a problem Peter's ever had.

"I bet she's made brownies."

And then Peter's out of the car and Jared's following. As Jared always does.

/end


End file.
